406 Theology

This is a podcast run by Rev. Benjamin Melli, who lives in the Flathead Valley, Montana. The purpose is to provide content for those interested in theology and Biblical Christianity. There will be interviews, book reviews, sermons and random other projects. If you have any questions or critiques feel free too reach out!

Giving Thanks in times of Abundance 11/25/2024

Giving Thanks in times of Abundance The hardest time to give thanks are in times of great trial and great abundance. We often feel gratitiude when things are going well, but that is more of a feeling than real thankfulness to God. Here is a sermon that reminds us of the real gift giver behind all abundance. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/34139491

1 Peter 1:3-9 11/19/2024

1 Peter 1:3-9 This sermon is about three truths Peter offers us in the midst of suffering, and how to be full of joy and thankfulness despite our suffering. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/34020667

1 Peter 1:1-2: "To the Exiles. Pt. 1" 11/11/2024

1 Peter 1:1-2: "To the Exiles. Pt. 1" This last week our country elected a number of officials to office. Some Christians rejoiced, while others lamented. This sermon addresses three core truths that Christians need to remind themselves in times when we can be divided over something as important and powerful as politics. The first part of the scripture reading was cut off, so sorry! /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/33873392

Ruth 3: "The Lovingkiness of God." 10/21/2024

Ruth 3: "The Lovingkiness of God." Sermon preached at 1st Presbyterian Church in Whitefish, MT. This sermon tells the story of Ruth and Boaz in their display of covenantal love to each other. This love models the love that God has for us, which dislodges idols in our hearts and draws us to worship Him and Him alone. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/33553857

Ruth 1: "Coming Home" 10/07/2024

Ruth 1: "Coming Home" This is a sermon preached at 1st Presbyterian church in Whitefish. This sermon is one of four on the book of Ruth. In this sermon we see how the book of Ruth is set in the context of the days of the "Judges", yet also starts to answer the question of who will be King over God's people. Ruth, in so many ways, gives us a greater insight into the kind of King we need and have been given in the person of Jesus Christ. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/33353212

Titus 3: "Grace Be With You All" 09/30/2024

Titus 3: "Grace Be With You All" This is the last sermon I will preach at All Souls Church in Missoula, MT. In many ways this is like a graduation or commencment speech by Paul to Titus. Paul lays out is final thoughts and instructions to Titus as the church is established on Crete. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/33262332

Order in the Church Pt. 2: Titus 1:5-16 09/03/2024

Order in the Church Pt. 2: Titus 1:5-16 We all need leaders in the church to help us navigate the lanscape of being in a church with one another. This episode contains a sermon preached at All Souls Church in Missoula, MT, on the qualifications of an elder and what their role in the community looks like. The focus of this sermon is contained in this big idea: As grace expands in depth and width, the gospel needs to be defined and defended, for the sake of the hope of eternity and peace here on earth in God's community. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32878346

Titus 1:1-4: "Order in the Church pt. 1" 08/26/2024

Titus 1:1-4: "Order in the Church pt. 1" The foundation of ordering the church is the grace of God in our lives as given through Jesus Christ. He is our foundation. If we get this wrong, everything is tainted. In this sermon, we see Paul instruct Titus with a mission to put the church in order, but he must start with the foundation of God's grace. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32741682

John 15: "Abide in Me" 08/20/2024

John 15: "Abide in Me" The last "I am" statement by Jesus in the book of John is recorded in John 15:1. Jesus says, "I am the true vine." This imagry is taken from the O.T. in regards to a picture of the nation of Israel. Jesus is saying that he and all who are connected to Him are now the true Israel. There is no longer an ethnic distinction, but rather a spiritual demarcation of those who are God's people. This is why it is so important that we abide or remain in Jesus, the true source of Spiritual Life. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32659117

John 14: "I am the Way" 08/12/2024

John 14: "I am the Way" Various statements of Jesus have been wresteled with over different times and cultures. The statement Jesus makes in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life.", is the statment that sets Jesus apart in our time and culture. Jesus is making a truth claim that confronts against our pluralistic ideology. In the context of John, this statment was meant to be encouraging. So what hope does Jesus promise here? /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32543192

John 11: "I am the Resurrection." 08/05/2024

John 11: "I am the Resurrection." This is a sermon preached at All Souls Church in August of 2024. The famous story of the resurrection of Lazarus, as recorded in John ch. 11, reminds us of our not only our eternal state, but also of the curretn reality of the resurrection to life we have in Jesus today. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32446377

John 10: "I Am the Good Shepherd" 07/29/2024

John 10: "I Am the Good Shepherd" Sermon preached at All Souls Church in Missoula, MT. This is a part of the "Seven I Am" statements in the book of John. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32339967

John 10 pt. 1: " I am the door" 07/22/2024

John 10 pt. 1: " I am the door" Sermon preached at All Souls Church, Missoula MT. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32244557

Sermon: John 8, "I am the Light of the World" 07/17/2024

Sermon: John 8, "I am the Light of the World" Sermon preached on 7/14/24 at All Souls church in Missoula MT. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32172677

John 6 : "I Am the Bread of Life" 07/08/2024

John 6 : "I Am the Bread of Life" Sermon preached at All Souls Church in Missoula. This is the beginning of a preaching series on the "7 I am Statments", all found in the gospel of John. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/32055332

Jonah's Garden: Jonah ch. 4 06/17/2024

Jonah's Garden: Jonah ch. 4 This is a sermon preached at All Souls Church in Missoula, MT. This sermon looks at the last chapter in the book of Jonah, it ends with a question, one which the audience is to ponder. Jonah points towards God's character of compassion, which is embodied in the the greater prophet, Jesus Christ, God made man. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/31781052

Jonah 3: "Jonah's Message" 06/11/2024

Jonah 3: "Jonah's Message" The beginning of the scripture reading was cut off, my apologies. This sermon was delivered at All Souls Church in Missoula. In this sermon, Jonah obeys the word of the Lord and goes to Nineveh to preach against the violence found there, which was an affront to God. This reminds us that God is indeed calling all nations, not just those who believe in him already, to repent of wickedness and trust in His salvation. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/31699622

Jonah Ch. 2: "Jonah's Fight" 06/05/2024

Jonah Ch. 2: "Jonah's Fight" This chapter describes Jonah's experience in grace. Jonah is not done learning, but he certainly begins to learn about God's mercy and grace for sinnners, all while in the belly of a whale. This sermon was preached at All Souls Church in Missoula. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/31620517

Sermon: "Jonah's Flight" Jonah Ch. 1 05/29/2024

Sermon: "Jonah's Flight" Jonah Ch. 1 The first of four sermons on the book of Jonah. This sermon we discover Jonah's call, reaction, and flight from God. We also learn about the severe mercy of God's grace. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/31519502

Sermon John 17:20-26: What Unifies the Church? 05/21/2024

Sermon John 17:20-26: What Unifies the Church? This sermon was preached at All Souls Church. The subject is John 17:20-26 in which Jesus prays for those who would be built up as a new covenant community called the church by the Apostles preaching of the Word. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/31401832

Sermon: John 17:1-19 "The Vision Had for His Church, pt. 1" 05/14/2024

Sermon: John 17:1-19 "The Vision Had for His Church, pt. 1" John 17 contains the longest recorded prayer of Jesus that we have. The Bible contains many farwell speeches or prayers by people, in which they lay out their vision for what they see as their ministry continuing forward. The focus on the prayer first display the relationship that the Father has with the Son. The mission of Jesus was to live a life worthy of glory as to offer eternal life and rescue for all those who know God. The second part contains Jesus praying for His disciples. He wants them to abide in Him and focus on His words which have been given to them. The third part of the prayer will be layed out in a the next sermon in this series. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/31290672

Sermon: Prov. 30:1-9, "What is Going On?" - Rev. Ben Melli 05/08/2024

Sermon: Prov. 30:1-9, "What is Going On?" - Rev. Ben Melli This is a sermon preached at All Souls Church giving us some wisdom about how we can become people who walk in faith when we are asking our sevles the question: What is going on? /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/31195882

Proverbs 16:1-9: "The Lord Establishes the way" 04/30/2024

Proverbs 16:1-9: "The Lord Establishes the way" It is quite easy to fall into the trap of believing that our plans, thinking, wanting, desiring and doing will determine the path of our life. Our culture values making our own way, or determining our own meaning. However, Proverbs tells us other wise. The Lord is the one who establishes the plans and circumstances that we encounter in life. The created order is that God is the creator and we are the creation. He has created all for His purpose. We are wise to recognize that when we create our plans, we do so in full knowledge that God will bring His desire to bare upon the outcome in our lives. And because of His steadfast love and faithfulness, we should rest in this great truth. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/31043488

Proverbs 10:1-16: "A Wise Heart" - Rev. Ben Melli 04/22/2024

Proverbs 10:1-16: "A Wise Heart" - Rev. Ben Melli In the book of Proverbs Wisdom comes from a righteous heart. In a sense, both are seen as two sides of the same coin, or each supporting each other. The bad news is when we read the description of a foolish heart, antithetical to a wise heart, we see more of ourselves in what is described. The good news is that the life and ministry of Jesus perfectly embodies the wisdom of Solomon. Christians are united to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and are given a "Spirit of Wisdom" according to Paul. (Eph. 1:18) The gospel gives us the ability to be a part of the Kingdom of Jesus because we can act wisely as we are built up into the image of Jesus. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/30933293

Sermon on Proverbs 3:1-12: "Straight paths" 04/18/2024

Sermon on Proverbs 3:1-12: "Straight paths" Obeying God means that he leads us in dying to "self trust" and living to trust in Him. This is a sermon that was preached at All Souls Church in Missoula which encourages God's people to trust in Him and not ourselves. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/30889173

Proverbs Sermon Series #1 : Prov. 1:1-7 04/08/2024

Proverbs Sermon Series #1 : Prov. 1:1-7 How should we live in the Kingdom of God? Proverbs gives us signs which help direct us and give us practical insights into day to day life. All wisdom in the world points back to Jesus Christ, and is also poured out by His Spirit in those who have been united with Jesus. This first sermon lays the groundwork for understanding wisdom and how it forms our ideas about life. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/30734778

Easter Sermon: Mark 15:42-16:8 04/01/2024

Easter Sermon: Mark 15:42-16:8 This is a sermon preached at All Souls Church in Missoula, MT. It was delivered on March 31st, 2024. This sermon looks at the resurrection of Jesus Christ from Mark's perspective and is connected to the preaching series delivered at All Souls Church which walks through the book of Mark. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/30632383

Sermon: Mark 10:32-52 "Good Vision" 3/17/24 03/19/2024

Sermon: Mark 10:32-52 "Good Vision" 3/17/24 Sermon preached at All Souls church on Mark 10:32-52. This section of Mark inlcudes the last of three statements Jesus makes regarding His journey to Jerusalem, and the cross. The disciples had not caught the vision of what it means to follow Jesus, to be His disciple. However; Bartimaus, a blind begger, comes to Jesus in need, in faith, and in willingness to give up His life to follow Jesus. The irony is that he sees Jesus, even though he is blind, and is rewarded with his sight. How are we blind to our own shortcomings in following Jesus? He still serves us, even when we are blind to His call. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/30443633

Sermon at All Souls Church: Mark 9:2-13 "Listen to Him" - Rev. Benjamin Melli 03/12/2024

Sermon at All Souls Church: Mark 9:2-13 "Listen to Him" - Rev. Benjamin Melli This is a sermon at All Souls Church in Missoula, MT. (preached on 3/10/24). The subject has to do with the transfiguration of Jesus Christ on Mt. Hermon as recorded in Mark 9. Jesus had just gotten done confronting Peter and the disciples about the reality of the cross in the Kingdom of God. Jesus was headed toward Jerusalem out of necessity to atone for sin and show what kind of life His disciples would live. Now, Jesus needed to encourage them to by revealing His glory and the worth of of giving up your life to follow Jesus. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/30343483

Sermon: "Hi I'm the problem, it's me" : Mark 6 - Rev. Ben Melli 02/20/2024

Sermon: "Hi I'm the problem, it's me" : Mark 6 - Rev. Ben Melli Sermon preached on Feb. 18th at All Souls Church by Rev. Ben Melli. This sermon focuses on Mark chapter 6 which largely serves as a picture of Jesus' ministry to the church. The disciples are not pictured as people who understand Jesus and His Kingdom. But there is grace in that Jesus still comes to them in grace and works through them. Similar to you and I, Jesus shows us grace and patience even when our hearts are hard to Him. /episode/index/show/f76520bb-c9bd-4a36-8acc-81af5b7308be/id/30038413

406 Theology

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